In a world increasingly driven by innovation, few entrepreneurs embody the convergence of genius, grit, and global impact like Jessica O. Matthews.
The Nigerian-American inventor, CEO, and founder of Uncharted Power has not only redefined how we think about renewable energy—she has reimagined how infrastructure itself can become a vessel for empowerment.
Born on February 13, 1988, in Poughkeepsie, New York, to Nigerian parents who ran a software company, Matthews grew up straddling two worlds: the opportunity-rich landscape of the U.S. and the electricity-challenged realities of Nigeria. A dual citizen, she turned childhood visits to Nigeria into inspiration—and later, into global solutions.
Her first spark came not from a boardroom or laboratory, but from a family wedding.
“The lights went out mid-celebration,” she recalled. “And the diesel fumes that followed weren’t just inconvenient—they were dangerous. I thought, ‘There has to be a better way.’”
That moment led to the invention that launched her global journey.
As a junior at Harvard University, where she studied psychology and economics, Matthews co-invented the Soccket—a soccer ball that captures kinetic energy during play and stores it as usable electricity.
For every 30 minutes of play, it could generate up to three hours of power for an LED lamp. The idea was simple, yet revolutionary: in regions where electricity is unreliable, let children’s playtime fuel their nighttime study.
Together with her classmate Julia Silverman, Matthews presented Soccket as part of an engineering class project. That project evolved into Uncharted Play, which later became Uncharted Power—a full-fledged tech and infrastructure company focused on smart, sustainable energy systems.
Matthews’ invention caught the world’s attention, eventually leading to an invitation from President Barack Obama to witness the signing of the America Invents Act at the White House in 2012.
Under Matthews’ leadership, Uncharted Power expanded beyond play-powered products into energy-generating infrastructure.
Her patented technology—described as “energy-harvesting building blocks”—can be integrated into sidewalks, strollers, floor panels, and even entire city grids. The aim? To decentralize energy access and embed renewable power into everyday life.
By 2016, Matthews had raised $7 million in Series A funding—at the time, the largest ever raised by a Black female founder. It valued the company at $57 million, placing her among the rarefied ranks of tech leaders breaking not just barriers, but records.
That same year, she was invited to ring the NASDAQ opening bell as a representative of the Forbes 30 Under 30 alumni.
Matthews was later appointed to the Electricity Advisory Committee by U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm in 2021, underscoring her credibility not only in innovation but also in policy-shaping.
Though the Soccket was officially discontinued in 2016, by 2017 over 500,000 units—including a sister product, the Pulse energy-generating jump rope—had been distributed across Africa and Latin America.
Her early inventions laid the groundwork for a more scalable and system-level approach to clean energy delivery.
Her journey is one of visionary expansion—from products to platforms, from grassroots to grid-level innovation.
She has graced the covers of Forbes, Forbes Africa, and Marie Claire, and has been featured in Fast Company, Wired, Inc., TechCrunch, and The New York Times.
Yet, despite her global recognition, Matthews remains refreshingly grounded. A natural speaker with an infectious sense of humor, she often describes herself as “a blend of Beyoncé and Bill Nye the Science Guy”—a nod to her unapologetic brilliance and showmanship.
Through Uncharted Power, Matthews is now focused on smart city technologies and decentralized infrastructure systems that could revolutionize how emerging markets develop—and how developed nations innovate.
“Africa doesn’t need saviors,” she says. “It needs systems. It needs tools. It needs scalable infrastructure owned by the people who use it.”
Jessica Matthews is building those systems—not with charity, but with capital, code, and conviction.
She represents the new wave of African entrepreneurs rewriting the rules of innovation—bold, global, and unapologetically impact-driven.
As Matthews continues to blaze trails from Lagos to Wall Street, one thing is clear: she’s not just inventing products. She’s powering possibility.
